Ways to Work Effectively as a Team Through Communication

A team is two or more people who recognize and share a commitment to a specific, common goal and who collaborate in their efforts to achieve that goal (Snyder, 2016). Teams can be beneficial because you can improve your interpersonal skills, expand your personal network, and use your best individual strengths while learning new skills from others. They are integral to a department, division, or organization.

There are many types of teams. Briefly mentioned, there are management-led teams, self-managing teams, self-directing teams, and self-governing teams. All serve a different purpose and provide different levels of experience and skill sets. Below are some practices that have been implemented across organizations and their teams.

*Assemble an effective team

• How big should my team be?

• What are the skills needed to complete this team project effectively?

• Who has the time and resources to contribute effectively to the team project?

• Who may be most interested in this topic (and therefore motivated to participate)?

• Who is easy to work with?

*Agree on team goals

• Goals

• Expected results

• Team standards

*Pay attention to team development and dynamics

• Forming

• Storming

• Norming

• Performing

*Develop good leadership practices

• Establish and maintain a vision of the future

• Create a supportive climate

• Delegate responsibility and assigns tasks equitably

• Establish a timeline

• Keep the project on track

• Manage meetings effectively and encourage positive collaboration

• Ensure effective decision making

• Resolve differences

*Plan for effective meetings

• Create an agenda

• Distribute the agenda sufficiently in advance

• Assign someone to serve as a timekeeper during the meeting

• Assign someone to serve as a note taker during the meeting

• Plan for follow-up

*Be a good team member

• Make a commitment to the team and its goals

• Create a collaborative working climate

• Support and encourage your teammates

• Support team decisions

• Focus on continuous quality improvement

To better your working environment and the people involved, ask yourself these questions or try implement one or several of the practices with the intention of improving yourself and the comradery and culture within the team and the organization.

I’ve been in the workforce for over 25 years and one of the many takeaways that I have experienced or come to learn is that being a good teammate matters. While we are not robots but humans working professionally, it is extremely important to be aware of another person’s well-being, consider their inputs and thoughts, and their feelings.

In Making the Team, the accurate diagnosis of team problems, research-based intervention, and expert learning (Thompson, 2014, p. 19) are identified as three team-building skills that an individual can focus and improve on. Being able to identify the correct problem is half the battle, then it can be addressed and resolved. Obtaining credible and reliable information rests on good evidence-based management with research-based intervention skills. Improving your knowledge with continuous learning and experiences helps us all be a better team member, team, and organization. So, be sure to respect the complexity of working with different individuals from different backgrounds with all equally different experiences. Informed and proactive individuals have a good amount of emotional intelligence where they 'diagnose the team problem', find evidence-based support, and collaborate effectively with the team!

References

Snyder, B. S. (2016). Business Communication: Polishing Your Professional Presence. 3rd Edition. Hoboken: Pearson.

Thompson, L. L. (2014). Making the Team: A Guide For Managers. Fifth Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.

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Meet Nikia Smith, the Director of Project Management Office (PMO), driving success at Business and Wealth Generations. With over a decade of advisory expertise, Nikia orchestrates strategy and operations, spearheading growth and innovation. Beyond his professional endeavors, Nikia actively participates in his community, having served on the Board of Directors at the Project Management Institute Florida Suncoast Chapter in different roles for several years. Recognized for his contributions, he received the PMI Florida Suncoast Chapter Award in 2018 for significantly boosting membership and retention and was also selected to attend the 2019 PMI North America Leadership Institute Meeting in Philadelphia. Nikia holds a bachelor’s degree in management and organizational leadership with a focus on Project Management, alongside several business certificates from St. Petersburg College. He is also certified in CAPM and PMP by the prestigious Project Management Institute. For collaboration opportunities, reach out to Nikia at info@thebusinesswg.com.